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There are a lot of people who think of porn as a harmless pastime or suitable replacement for sex. After all, it’s private, legal, easy to access, and doesn’t impair your driving ability. So, how could the benefits of quitting porn possibly make it worth it?
While it may seem harmless, the reality is porn can have a profound negative impact on you and your relationships.
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The long-term effects of watching porn on personal well-being, the well-being of partners, and relationships overall can be extremely detrimental. All of which means the benefits of quitting porn can pave the way to a better state of, well, nearly everything.
If There Are Benefits To Quitting Porn, There Must Be Drawbacks To Watching It
Part of understanding the benefits of quitting porn is understanding the effects watching it has has on you.
On A Personal Level
Most assume if kept private, porn doesn’t do any personal damage. But that’s not the case.
Even if you do your best to limit your time watching and feel like you make a point of paying attention to your partner, porn can still cause harm.
Among the personal problems that arise are,
- Becoming desensitized to arousal triggers. When you can easily see many naked women performing a variety of sexual acts, pretty soon, one woman isn’t enough. This can make “getting in the mood” harder and harder – no pun intended.
- Unconscious devaluation of your partner. Despite your best efforts, porn will chip away at the value you place on your partner. In the extreme, it can lead you to view your partner as a sexual object rather than a person with whom you share an intimate bond.
- Dissatisfaction and disappointment with real-life sexual encounters. This can cause feelings of shame or guilt.
- Isolation. As the feelings of disconnection and shame increase, so will the reliance on porn. Ultimately, even if you’re in a relationship, you can end up feeling very lonely.
- Erectile dysfunction for men. ED is porn’s dirty little secret. Overexposure to porn can result in very real performance problems for men.
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On A Relationship Level
In addition to damaging you personally, porn has a profoundly negative effect on relationships.
Porn can,
- Create unrealistic expectations and desires, which, in addition to being a problem for you, will also be a problem for your partner.
- Make your partner feel replaced, inadequate, and lonely.
- Damage or destroy the trust within your relationship.
- Diminish the value of emotional and physical intimacy that’s so important in a relationship.
The Real Benefits Of Quitting Porn
With all the clearly harmful effects that porn can have, the benefits of quitting may seem obvious. Unfortunately, even knowing what it can do to you and your relationships isn’t enough for many people who are addicted to it.
Dr. Kurt counsels’ people who are trying to quit porn on a weekly basis. When asked about why quitting porn is so important he had this to say,
Most of the people I've counseled about viewing porn have felt on some level that they shouldn't be doing it. This is a big part of the reason why it's almost always done in secrecy. The shame that develops because of these two factors can be immense. Sadly, coping with that shame can lead back to more viewing. It can become a vicious cycle that's very difficult to stop. In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits of quitting porn is the internal peace that comes with freeing yourself from this cycle."
So, for anyone still thinking porn’s no big deal, it’s worth exploring the benefits of quitting porn in greater depth.
Physical and Mental Health Benefits
The harmful effects of pornography on mental and physical health are well-documented, including,
This means quitting porn can lead to numerous benefits for those who watch it regularly.
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Among the physical and mental health benefits of putting a stop to your porn habit are,
- Reduction in anxiety and depression. Hiding your porn viewing or feeling reliant on porn takes a toll on you. By quitting porn, you can regain control over your thoughts and emotions.
- Improved mood and self-esteem. Even though porn has a mainstream feel, it’s still not a habit you want to advertise. Quitting porn will make you feel lighter and better about yourself.
- More vibrant feelings, sexuality, and intimacy. A healthy sex life is essential on both relationship and personal levels. The emotional intimacy that comes from a healthy sexual relationship with your partner positively impacts your mental health.
- Improved libido and reduction in sexual dysfunction. One of the most significant physical benefits of quitting porn is that it allows the brain to rewire itself back to normal functioning levels leading to improved sexual performance.
- Better rest. Watching porn also takes time, typically a lot of time. And although it can be watched at any time of day, it’s often the nighttime hours that get sacrificed. This means some people’s porn habit is quite literally keeping them up at night. So, quitting porn can have the additional physical benefits of improving sleep quality and increased energy levels.
Relationship Benefits
For many, the most obvious benefits of quitting porn are seen on the relationship level.
Among them are,
- Improved intimacy between partners. Porn can feel like having other people in your relationship or like your partner has competition. These feelings will create a wall between you. Quitting porn will improve the intimacy that’s so important to a healthy relationship.
- A better and more satisfying sex life. Porn creates unrealistic expectations of sex, leading to dissatisfaction in real-life relationships. By quitting porn, individuals can learn to appreciate the unique qualities of their partner and develop a deeper emotional connection.
- Increased trust in your relationship. Porn addiction involves secrecy and dishonesty, which erodes trust between partners. Being open about your struggle and desire to quit porn can rebuild trust with your partner.
- Stronger feelings of connection to your partner. Porn lives in an odd and uncomfortable space in relationships. It doesn't typically involve cheating with a real person, but just watching porn feels like cheating to most partners. This means that regardless of how you justify it, porn breaks the connection between partners. Quitting porn can help restore that.
- Better communication. As a fundamental cornerstone of a healthy relationship, good communication is essential. Eliminating porn can help create more transparency in a relationship and improve communication.
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Personal Growth Benefits
Quitting porn can also lead to significant personal growth benefits by creating positive changes in your behavior. There's a distinct, positive impact when you aren’t regularly being consumed by the desire to watch porn.
The benefits include,
- Better control over your thoughts and actions. By quitting porn, you’re able to learn how to manage your sexual impulses and resist temptation. This newfound self-control will spill over into other areas of your life.
- Healthier relationships with others. Watching porn or developing a porn addiction can make empathy and compassion toward others’ needs and feelings more difficult. This is true of most addictions. Quitting porn will lead to deeper connections and stronger relationships.
- Self-awareness and rediscovery of yourself. Eliminating porn can mean you have more time and energy for hobbies or activities that bring you joy. You may even discover new passions or interests that you never knew existed.
- Increased productivity. Porn takes time and mental energy. And because you often need more and more porn to feel satisfied, it can take a lot of time out of your day or night. A big benefit to quitting porn is the increased time in your day or night that can lead to increased productivity.
What Can Help Me Begin Quitting Porn?
If it’s become clear that the benefits of quitting porn are worth the effort, you may be wondering how to go about it.
Advice on the specifics of quitting porn is covered in more depth in other articles on our site, but some of the first things you can do to set yourself on the right track are listed below.
- Acknowledge to yourself that you have a problem and consider telling your partner. The support they may offer could help you make the needed changes.
- Work to identify the triggers that inspire your desire to watch porn and begin avoiding them as much as possible. This could include limiting your time online or avoiding certain websites altogether.
- Seek help from an experienced professional therapist or counselor. Someone who treats porn addiction can provide the tools and guidance to overcome what can be a very difficult addiction to break.
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What To Take Away
There’s no arguing that the benefits of quitting porn outweigh the reasons to watch it. That doesn’t mean quitting is easy, though.
The key is to keep those benefits front and center in your mind when temptation strikes.
Remember,
- Porn may seem harmless, but it degrades many areas of your life.
- You’ll feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally by quitting porn.
- Your personal relationships will be more fulfilling when you eliminate the influences of porn.
- Sex and intimacy will improve when you quit porn.
It may not be an easy task, but you can realize the benefits of quitting porn with the right mindset and support system in place. By taking these steps towards stopping porn, you can regain control over your life and discover how much happier and fulfilling it can be.
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